Ilayaraja turns 80, Stalin pays visit to music maestro; birthday wishes pour in for director Mani Ratnam

Chennai: Music maestro Ilayaraja turned 80 on Friday with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and top actor Kamal Haasan among others greeting the 'Isaignani' on his birthday.

They also greeted ace director Mani Ratnam, who turned 67 on Friday.

Stalin visited Ilayaraja and felicitated him. In a Twitter post, the Chief Minister paid rich tributes to the music composer, calling him a "revolution for the field of music".

"He does not string musical instruments; he caresses our hearts," the Chief Minister said.

Stalin said his father and the late DMK president M Karunanidhi had deeply appreciated the nuances of Ilayaraja's music and hailed him as 'Isaignani,' which roughly translates to a sage of music.

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan took to Twitter to greet his "elder brother," whom he also described as the "emperor" of the world of music.

The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder also shared a throwback black-and-white picture of the two involved in a discussion.

Scores of fans took to social media to greet Ilayaraja.

The Chief Minister and Haasan, besides many others, also extended their birthday greetings to filmmaker Mani Ratnam.

Stalin said Ratnam was one of the top cinema directors of the country and wanted him to keep making more films that attract global appreciation.

The director's latest work, the two-part Ponniyin Selvan had received both critical acclaim and commercial success.

Haasan said: "If one were to count life by the happiness that they create around them and if age is calculated by the friends around you, my dear #ManiRatnam you are going to be a much older man today!" "A doyen of Indian Cinema who has touched the hearts of millions through his art and one who transformed dialogues into a lovely visual experience," Haasan said about his 'Nayakan' director.

Ratnam has constantly pushed the boundaries of cinema unmindful of the scale of challenge by constantly learning.

"Today you are a master inspiring the next generation of filmmakers through whom your legacy shall reverberate perpetually. From Nayakan to #KH234, our journey together has been personally rewarding and enriching for me. Many more happy returns of the day and more to come my friend!" the actor said.